The Mermaid's Scar
by AnimeCat
Summary: Heero and Duo are looking for work on a quiet, bustling little island...but come across a young girl who desperately needs their help...but maybe she isn't as helpless as she seems...Read and Review!! *discontinued*
1. Return To The Cove

The Mermaids Scar…Gundam Style

AnimeCat: A while ago, I saw a killer anime called The Mermaids Scar. It was very short, and not very recent, as far as I could tell. I've been thinking about writing this for a while…so here it is ^_^ My first horror fic! It's yaoi, of course…it wouldn't have been but Relena just didn't suit Mana's character. Duo did. I bash no one in this fic. I adore Mariemaia…but there aren't any other seven-year-olds in the show, are there?? 

I changed some stuff around to make it longer

Read and Review!

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Looking out the window, watching the world ease slowly by, Mariemaia sighed. It had been so long since she'd seen the ocean! How long, she wondered. She giggled airily. Doesn't matter any more…she was back. 

On the seat next to her, she had her small pack. She was traveling alone, again. Hopefully now that she was reuniting with her mother, maybe she'd have a few more belongings to fill her bag…

The train swayed to the left, and her pack went flying. She gasped quietly and shot forward to grab it. 

"Here you go," Someone said politely. She looked up, and an older boy was holding her pack in his hands, offering it back to her. "Is this yours?" 

She smiled, "Thank you," She said quietly, taking the pack in her arms and holding it tightly to her chest. She jumped back into her seat and returned her gaze to the window. The boy sat in the seat opposite hers. 

"Are you traveling alone?" The boy asked. Mariemaia looked at him. He had dark hair, and bluish-gray eyes, a very convicted expression, though friendly. He must be around…sixteen, maybe a bit older or younger. 

"Yes…" She admitted. She noticed suddenly that the boy was no longer alone. In the window seat was another boy with a long brown braid his head sticking out the window, watching the sea with half-open amethyst eyes, smiling with some mix of happiness and sadness. "I'm meeting my mother at the station."

"Hear that, Duo?" The boy asked his seatmate. Duo nodded. "My name is Heero." The boy finally gave his name. Mariemaia smiled.

"My name is Mariemaia." She said, and continued to watch out the window. 

Quiet moments passed, and the train approached the station. Mariemaia stuck her head out of the window and shielded her eyes from the sun as she looked for her mother's head. Heero stuck his head out.

"Do you see her?" He asked. Mariemaia searched the small crowd. A woman stood on the platform in a soft blue kimono, her milky brown hair cascading onto her shoulders.

"Yes!" Mariemaia breathed happily, "I see her!" 

The train stopped, and Heero smiled as the tiny red head raced from her seat and into her mother's arms. He gestured to Duo; they grabbed their bags and stepped off the train.

Duo sighed, and took in the sea air. 

"We're back…are you okay, Duo?" Heero asked. Duo smiled gently.

"Just thinking about the past…nothing bad." He said. Heero nodded, smiling. 

"Okay…" He looked up at the large bluff in the center of the peninsula. As far as he could see, there was only one house on the entire thing, overlooking the cove. "It's changed a lot here." 

He looked at the construction beneath the bluff. Surrounding the bluff, the place was filled with people and buildings. "We should be able to get work very easily, Duo…" No response. "Duo?" He turned to the longhaired boy. Duo was staring at the water again, that placid expression on his face. Heero smirked. 

With a small sigh, Duo broke his trance and followed Heero into town. 

~~~~~~~~

"So…how old are you, again?" The elderly man asked him. 

"Seventeen." Heero answered without hesitation. The man looked him over. 

"Yeah…sure…" The man said, unconvinced. 

"Leave him alone. Do we need the extra help or not?" The old man's business partner snapped, annoyed. 

"Yeah, yeah…." The old man eyes him once again, and looked over to Duo, who was peeking inside of the trailer. 

"Who's that?" The man gestured to Duo. Heero watched Duo from the corner of his eye.

"My…brother." He finished. The man raised his eyebrow and set him to work.

~~~~~~

With a grateful release from the pressure in his arms, Heero dropped his workload at the pile he was taking it to. He bent over, his hands to his knees and breathed hard, panting like an animal. 

A shadow fell in his path, blocking the sun. He looked up, and saw Duo holding a glass of water out to him. He grinned and took it from Duo gratefully. 

He took a seat overlooking the construction site he was working in and Duo sat next to him. The sight of Duo wearing the baggy kitchen whites he worked in made Heero laugh loudly.

"What?" Duo asked. Heero smirked. 

"Nothing," He said playfully. 

"What is it??" Duo snapped, irritated. Heero just smiled again.

~~~~~~

Soft moonlight spilled into the Solar Room, through the windows and created a grid pattern on the Oriental rug. 

A figure lay still on the carpet, her blood pooling beneath her. It spilled from her nose, and caked into her hair. Brighter, fresher blood poured from the open wound on her chest. 

Ten steps away, a small figure was slowly creeping closer. Red hair falling from her ponytail matched the blood of her mother on the floor. 

Mariemaia's eyes widened with fear. "Momma…" She whispered, terrified. 

@-------

Review!! If you like violence don't worry…it gets better next chapter!


	2. Story Of Mystery

The Mermaids Scar…Gundam Style

Chapter 2

AnimeCat: I was hoping for a bigger turnout of readers…whatever… Lets just hope for some nice reviews this time, k? ^_^

K, Mariemaia's mom is Lady Une. Relena makes her appearance in this chapter. 

@-------

Relena looked up at the mansion. She sighed happily. It so nice that Miss Une's daughter had come to stay with her… It wasn't so quiet in the big house anymore, and now Relena had two jobs. 

Relena smiled as she walked up the steps to the house. Her salary as housekeeper had already been enough as it was, and Miss Une had been kind enough to increase it so that Relena took care of Mariemaia. What a darling child!!

She came up to the, unlocked it and went inside. It was still early…time to make breakfast before anyone got up. She stepped inside, leaving her coat and things by the door. She heard someone come down the stairs. Relena turned around and saw Mariemaia smiling on the steps from the second floor.

"Good morning, Mary-M, what are you doing up so early?" She said fondly. 

"I wanted to see you when you came in this morning. You always come so early, Miss Relena." Mariemaia said playfully, coming down the steps. 

Relena beamed. Mariemaia had apparently been up for a while, her hair was brushed and she was already dressed. "That's very nice of you." Relena said pleasantly. "You can help me with breakfast…how does that sound?"

"Great!" Mariemaia smiled. 

"Why don't you go wake your mother…oh," Relena stopped, looking at the flight of stairs. Une was already awake, as well. She stood there, watching them. Relena felt a small chill go down her spine. "Good morning, Miss Une!" She called. 

"Morning," Une responded rigidly. 

Relena noticed that Mariemaia had taken tight hold of her hand. She looked down, and saw Mariemaia watching Une with terrified eyes. "Mary-M?" Relena whispered. Mariemaia shuddered and raced behind Relena. Confused, Relena looked back up to Une.

Une's eyes narrowed coldly. "Mariemaia…" She said with a forced tone, "Mariemaia…come here…"

Relena shivered as the chill came again and Mariemaia whimpered softly. 

__

What's going on here??

~~~~~~~

Duo examined the cup again, the tea filter, and hot water. _Uhhh…._ He thought, _Now what? _He wanted to call it quits but he wanted Heero to be happy he was learning something…

__

This looks easy enough… He put the tea filter in the cup and poured in the hot water. 

"What are you doing?!" His boss's voice rang out.

__

Damn. 

~~~~~~~

"I know you said he couldn't do construction but is he so helpless he can't make tea???" Duo's boss snapped. Heero sighed, keeping his gaze to the floor in a submissive gesture. 

"I'm very sorry…he's lived a very sheltered life." Heero mumbled. 

"What's _his_ problem?" Duo asked loudly from behind him. Heero silenced him.

"Duo!!" He squeaked. 

"Okay, okay. But it better not happen again!" The old man said in an annoyed tone. Heero had a hard time keeping a straight face as he stared at the man with the gigantic mushroom for hair…

"Yes, sir." Heero said honestly. Duo went back to work, Heero sighed as Duo shoved all sorts of food into each container to store. Looks like that egg won't be of much use tomorrow….

The old man peered out a window and saw a young woman with a small child walking down the road. 

"Who is that?" Heero asked, looking as well. 

"Daughter of a friend of mine. She works as housekeeper for the Une woman on the bluff." 

"Oh," Heero nodded. The man went outside to greet the young woman and Heero followed, gesturing to Duo. 

"Hello, Relena!" The man said. "How are things?"

Relena came closer, smiling, the young girl hanging back a few steps nervously. 

"Very well, thank you." Relena said politely, pulling Mariemaia closer. 

"Is this Une's daughter?" 

Relena nodded, smiling. "Say hello to my father's friend, Mary-M." She said to Mariemaia. Mariemaia hesitantly whispered a greeting. "This is Mariemaia," she introduced the small girl. 

Heero widened his eyes. "Look, Duo," He said, "Isn't that the little girl from the train?"

Duo examined her. "Yeah," Duo agreed, "It is."

Heero came closer and knelt to Mariemaia. "Remember me from the train a few weeks ago?"

Mariemaia studied his face for a moment before nodding. "Yes I do."

"Do you like it now that you're living with your mother?"

Mariemaia paused, and Heero noticed a cold fear sweep through her eyes before blinking it away. "Yes," She said softly, "its nice living with my Momma now…" 

"That's nice." Heero said and stood back up. 

"We'd better be going, now…" Relena said, looking at her watch. Relena took Mariemaia's hand and prepared to lead her away.

"It's nice seeing you again, Mariemaia!" Duo said before they walked off, Relena saying goodbye to his boss. 

"Nice seeing you too, boys!" Mariemaia chirped. 

"Cute kid." Heero commented lightly. Duo's boss laughed hoarsely. 

"She may seem all cute, but I hear she hardly even speaks to her mother." He said. "Then again that woman always was strange…especially that one time…"

"What do you mean?" Heero asked, as Duo glanced about, listening but not obviously. 

The old man, G, scoffed. "Don't even get me started on _that._" He said. "She came her about 11 months ago, like a breeze. No past or anything that we know of, she hardly spoke to anyone. Then the war general that lived on the bluff took her in, maybe pity of something and she stayed with him for quite a while.

"One day they're out boating on some yacht of his, and something happened and the whole damn thing exploded."

Heero gasped. "What happened?"

"The man died instantly, and she was supposed to die sometime later. The Coast Guard dragged her in, covered with burns from head to toe but the next day she woke up! And a week later, she walked out of the hospital without a scratch!!" 

Heero's pulse quickened. _Could it be? Could this Une lady…could she possibly be one of us?_

~~~~~~~

Relena made the finishing touches on the dinner she'd prepared, and Mariemaia was hanging in through the door, inhaling deeply.

"That smells delicious, Miss Relena…is it almost done?" She asked eagerly. Relena smiled. 

"It's done, go call your mother down and we can eat."

A dark, unreadable expression crossed her face. "All right…" She sighed. The door swung shut and Mariemaia made her way up the stairs and to her mother's room, her heart pounding. 

~~~~~~~~

Une narrowed her eyes at the sight of the long scar still etched into her skin across her heart. _Why isn't it going away?? It's supposed to go away like all the others!_

"This scar won't go away…" She whispered coldly. _I need more!! Where is she hiding it?? When she sees this she'll not want to give me more!! She'll replace me because it's easier!_

Une looked out the corner of her eyes. 

Mariemaia stood terrified in her doorway. 

"Momma…dinner…" Mariemaia whispered. Une's hand shakily shot out onto her vanity table, catching hold of a large pair of scissors. Mariemaia took a step back, her eyes widening. 

Une stood slowly, bringing the scissors in front of her. "Where is it?" She whispered. Mariemaia took another step backward, her jaw trembling. _"Where did you hide it??"_

Une leaped toward her daughter, holding the scissors high above her head….then brought them down. 

@-------

Review!!!

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	3. Attack On Innocence

The Mermaids Scar…Gundam Style

Chapter 3

AnimeCat: Ok….chapter 3….here we go with the good stuff!!

Review!

@-------

Mariemaia quickly dodged, feeling the blade of the scissors tear through her shirt, but her skin unbroken. She cried out loudly in shock and took off running down the steps, Une standing back up and coming at her again with her weapon. 

"Miss Relena!!" Mariemaia screamed shrilly as Une leaped toward her again, missing her by a mere centimeter. 

"Come back!!!" Une screamed furiously. "Where are you hiding it??" 

Mariemaia tore down the steps and into Relena's arms. Relena tried to shield Mariemaia desperately. "Stop!!" She shrieked and Une aimed the scissors at Mariemaia's chest. "Don't do it!!" 

Mariemaia screamed in terror as her mother's eyes flared with hatred. "Momma! No!!" 

She ran from Relena's arms and unlocked the door, running out into the front yard, stumbling on broken pieces of the walk. 

Une chased her yet again, running in a blind rage… Kill! Kill! Kill!! Her mind screamed to end Mariemaia's life…reason and logic be damned. She just wanted that girl dead!!! Unexplainable fury filled her, the desire to kill overwhelming. Mariemaia had done the unacceptable…at long last Une will rectify it…

The lifted the blade up high and brought it down. Somewhere in the distance, she could hear Relena screaming.

She shut her eyes as the blade closed in on Mariemaia, the girls' eyes open wide, her mouth gaping open, her face filled with a terror and anger that only made Une even more enraged.

Something tore under the blade of her weapon. 

Blood spilled onto the walk, and Une opened her eyes.

~~~~~~~~

Mariemaia looked up. What on earth--?

The older boy Heero stood defensively over her, holding his arm out to take the blade. And so it had. 

Mariemaia looked down, seeing blood and gasping. He'd done this for her?? She looked up at him in amazement and wonder. Admiration filled her gaze. 

Heero remained still, blood dripping slowly from his forearm yet his eyes remained locked on Une, his face emotionless. He showed no obvious signs of pain. 

She looked to her mother, who had her jaw hanging open in anguish and her eyes sorrowful. She held the blade limp now, looking ready to drop it. A low wail of defeat escaped her throat. 

The blind rage gone, both Une and Mariemaia breathed deep. 

~~~~~~~

Relena wrapped the bandage tight on Heero's arm. 

"It's not as bad as I thought," She commented softly. "There." She finished. Heero examined her work and nodded approvingly.

"Thank you, it feels better now." He said politely, and flexed his arm to assure her. He looked toward the shut door to the Solar Room. "How is she?" 

Relena paused and sighed. "Better now…she doesn't seem to remember what came over her. She's not a bad person, Heero." She tried to explain. Heero nodded. 

"I don't think she is…but I think I should go talk some sense into her." Heero said roughly. Heero let himself into the room, and Mariemaia came in from the kitchen. 

"Miss Relena?" The little girl asked quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. 

"Yes, Mary-M?" Relena beckoned for Mariemaia to come closer. 

"Don't take me from here…I love my Momma…" She said defensively, her voice still soft. "She loves me, too…she didn't mean it, I know she didn't…"

Relena looked into Mariemaia's icy blue eyes. The truth and innocence the girl held made her sigh. "I know, Mary-M…don't worry, I won't take you from here…"

Mariemaia smiled happily, relieved.

~~~~~~

Heero stepped into the Solar Room, seeing Une sit peacefully in an armchair, her face regretful. He stepped in front of her, and slowly unwound his bandage. She watched him with one eyebrow raised high.

"What are you…" She began, and he extended his forearm to her. She looked…and saw nothing. The scratch was completely gone. No blood…no scars. "What--?" She gasped. 

Heero let his gaze soften. "How long have you been around? It's nearing five hundred years for me." 

@-------

AnimeCat: Ok, if you think I did that to Mariemaia and Une because I hate them, you're dead wrong. Une and Mariemaia are my favorite girls from the show. Just wait till later….it gets plain nasty…*shudders* 

Well!! Secret revealed! Heero's been around for quite a while, ne?

Review!!! Pleeeeeease? 


	4. Even Immortals Die

The Mermaids Scar…Gundam Style

Chapter 4

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Une's face filled with surprise at his remark. "How did you know??" She whispered. 

"When I heard about the boat accident." Heero answered, wrapping the bandage again. "I knew…I knew that only an Immortal could survive from an accident like that. You ate it too, didn't you? The mermaid's flesh(1)." 

"I…" Une struggled with her voice. Realizing there was no way to escape her present situation, she nodded. "Yes, I did. A long time ago…" She breathed deep. 

"But I'm surprised it took you so long to heal." He added lightly. She looked at him sharply. 

"What do you mean?" Une asked roughly. 

"I don't think you're completely Immortal…" He said. 

"How can I be half-immortal? There can't be such a thing. You're either Mortal or Immortal." Une snapped. Heero shook his head, disagreeing. 

"No…sometimes the flesh doesn't take affect properly. It depends on the person. People unfortunate enough to be like me become Immortal, only dying when someone cuts off our heads."

Une winced at the harsh tone he used. She lowered her head.

"Then there's the people who end up like you…you'll live much longer than you're supposed to…maybe a century or two…but eventually the flesh's power will wear off and you'll be Mortal again."

Heero watched her as she lifted her head to him slowly, her lower lip quivering. Her eyes trembled. Heero ignored this…it was too late to help her. He'd seen too many suffer to worry about a woman who'd already overstayed her time on Earth. 

"And some people…most people, actually, never even get one moment of immortality."

"What happens to them?" She asked quietly, though she really didn't want to know. Heero clenched his fists, and felt his throat swell up painfully. 

"They become a Lost Soul…" He finally answered, his words stinging in his own mouth. "Their body…their mind…it twists…they loose mortality, and their human form disappears. They become nothing but a monster…"

Une stood quickly, her jaw now gaping open. 

"Why? How can the flesh react so differently?" Une questioned, gasping.

Heero felt the twist again… "Because the flesh is also a poison. Some people aren't fated for this curse of immortality. The Lost Souls don't feel anything but hatred. They dwell in a private hell." 

He took a step toward her. "Tell me where you got it." He demanded. Une opened her mouth to answer…but the door creaked slowly open. Heero turned around angrily, but the feeling dissolved when he saw Mariemaia standing there, looking frightened and pale. 

"Momma…dinner…" Mariemaia commented softly. Heero sensed Une shift uneasily behind him, making him glance at her from the corner of his eye. 

"Come back later." Une mouthed. "When the child is not here." 

Heero nodded, and stepped out. He patted Mariemaia's head on the way out and said goodbye airily. As he walked out the front door he saw Duo say goodbye, and noticed that Mariemaia had warmed up to Duo immensely. The little girl looked disappointed to see the longhaired boy go. 

"You'll come back and visit me, won't you, Duo?" She questioned, smiling. Duo nodded, and when Mariemaia turned around to say goodbye to Relena, Heero laughed inwardly to see that Duo had braided her apple-red hair. 

The trio stepped out, Duo and Heero lingering on the front porch a moment as Relena walked down the steps. She looked at her watch and yelped. 

"Got a hot date?" Heero teased. Relena turned to him and blushed.

"Yes, actually…" Relena said sensitively, not able to hide her small smile. "Good night, boys!" She waved a final time before reaching the end of the walk and turning down another street. 

Heero looked up at the windows of the Solar Room once more before slowly walking away.

~~~~~~~

Une watched Relena walk off, and then the two boys go in the opposite direction a moment later. 

"So it's true then?" She asked the air. "I won't live forever?"

She didn't know whether to be relieved or to grieve at this revelation…

@-------

  1. Hence, "The Mermaids Scar". Its like this, if you eat magical mermaids skin, you become immortal…well, sometimes. This was a part of the anime I don't remember a lot of, bear with me if you've seen it. ^_~

Review!!


	5. Lost Soul Of Vengence

The Mermaids Scar…Gundam Style

Chapter 5

@-------

Duo looked out the window, and saw Relena coming up the road. He dried his hands and gestured to Heero, who was *trying* to eat the food Duo had made for him. Momentarily he choked, but took a sip of water and followed Duo outside, wiping his lips and dumping the food in the trash when Duo wasn't looking. 

"Hi, Relena," Heero said, "How is Une today?"

Relena nodded. "She's doing much better, thank you. Mary-M wanted to stay with her when I went out for groceries this afternoon." She smiled. Duo noticed Relena's timid way of hiding her left hand. Feeling curious, he reached out and pulled her hand up into the light. Relena instantly blushed rose-red. 

"Hey, Heero, look!" Duo said, smiling. On Relena's ring finger was: a ring. A thin gold band and a small but romantic looking diamond. Heero whistled. 

"Nice, Relena. From last night, I figure?" He grinned. Relena took her hand back from Duo and smiled softly, her face still red. 

"We've been…talking about it for a long time…tonight we finally decided…" She said fondly. 

"Good for ya!" Duo quipped. 

"I'm just a little sad…I'll have to quit work at the mansion…and God knows I'm needed there now." Relena said, biting her lip. 

"Une will understand…she's not the Wicked Witch of the North, you know." Heero assured her. Relena shook her head. 

"Its Mary-M I'm worried about."

Heero nodded solemnly. "I see." 

"I don't want her to think I'm abandoning her." Relena said grimly.

"Talk to her…make sure she understands." Duo added in. Relena nodded. 

"Thank you for the help, boys. I'd better give Miss Une my resignation papers now…" She turned slowly and began walking.

"Relena, we'll be visiting in a little while, all right?? Good luck with your marriage!!" Heero shouted out to her. She looked at him, smiling, and a faint pink still in her cheeks. She waved to them before disappearing from sight. 

~~~~~~

"So you're leaving?" Une asked gently, staring at the sun sinking into the ocean. From behind her, she could hear Relena sigh deeply. 

"I'll stay for a little while longer, Miss Une…a few weeks, maybe more…" 

"That's fine, Relena." Une turned around and gave a comforting smile. "You're welcome to leave when you're ready. I'll write you a letter of recommendation. You've been an incredible housekeeper for me."

"Thank you, Miss Une…I've been happy to work here. Mary-M is a wonderful child…"

A cloud seemed to pass on Une's face but it vanished. "Thank you…she certainly is, isn't she?" Une said in a strange voice. "Is there anything else?" 

"Well, Miss Une…I'm worried about Mary-M…I don't want her to think I'm leaving her…" Relena answered nervously. 

"I see…well, if you'd like you may have a few hours with her…talk to her." Une said kindly. Relena smiled. 

"Thank you again, Miss Une!!" She responded gratefully. Relena heard the small creak of the door swinging open. Relena's head swung in the direction and saw Mariemaia standing there, looking like she was about to cry. "Mary-M… It's not…" 

Mariemaia shook her head, and took off running up the stairs, slamming her door. Relena stood automatically and looked to Une, who nodded. Relena made her way up the stairs slowly and opened Mariemaia's door. Mariemaia was sitting on the floor near her bed, her small pack on her lap. 

"Mary-M…I'm not leaving you…I'm getting married…"

Mariemaia looked up at her, her eyes brimming with tears. "I don't want you to go, Miss Relena…" She said, her voice tight. 

"I'm very sorry, Mary-M…you know I'll visit you…" Relena murmured. Mariemaia opened her pack and brought out something, then extended her closed fist to Relena. 

"What's this?" Relena asked lightly. Mariemaia opened her hand and showed Relena a round, pale colored…something. 

"Would you taste this, Miss Relena? Please?" Mariemaia asked quietly. 

"What is it?" Relena questioned curiously. Mariemaia said nothing. At this point Relena was desperate to make sure Mariemaia understood that she still cared for her, Relena took it and took a small bite out of a corner. 

The moment it touched her tongue, Relena knew something was very, very wrong…

She let out a scream as her body exploded with pain…

~~~~~~~

Duo put his hand on Heero's arm. "Did you hear that?" He asked cautiously. Heero blinked. 

But a second later, a louder scream reached their ears. Their eyes shot up to the mansion in front of them, and widened with horror. They broke into a dead run, reaching the door within moments. 

Finding the door unlocked, they raced inside, and saw Une standing in front of the stairs, petrified. As the two boys ran past her and leaped up the stairs, she broke her trance and raced after them, making it to Mariemaia's door first. 

The three of them spilled into the room at the same time. 

The events that occurred in the next minute could hardly be accounted for. 

Duo saw something large and gruesome reach out for Une, slicing open her upper left chest. Blood spilled onto the floor in horrific amounts. 

She let out a choked scream, and blood sprayed from her lips. Duo's stomach lurched.

Heero looked up, hardly seeing what had happened to Une, only seeing his worst fear come to life. 

He saw Mariemaia, terrified, frozen in place with her mouth open in a silent scream of the sight before her eyes. 

Something twisted…something dark green and black, bent half over with a huge hump on its back, chameleon-like eyes, always jumping from one direction to the next, neither of them working in sync. Large arms, with horrendous claws ending at its twisted fingers…claws built to slice. Claws built to kill. 

Looking down at Une, he was positive those claws had done their job as Une's blouse soaked red. Duo was staring at Une, his face working quickly, unable to register the sight of Une's body, limp on the floor.

The monster let out a grisly, throaty roar…and Heero had other things to think about besides Une and Duo. 

__

…A Lost Soul…

@-------

Review!! Sorry for the wait, Exams, ya know…


	6. Nothing Is What It Seems

The Mermaids Scar…Gundam Style

Chapter 6

AnimeCat: Yes, sorry for OOCness and the short chapters. The Mermaids Scar was a very short anime, only 40 minutes. I was just trying to pull the story out a little bit. 

Anyway, review!! ^_~

@-------

With a horrible realization, Heero knew that the Lost Soul was Relena. 

__

No…it's not Relena anymore… He thought numbly. "Duo!! I'll handle this! Take Mariemaia and run!!" 

Duo nodded, swallowing hard and losing all color in his face. Heero didn't waste another moment before leaping onto the monster, pulling it pushing it, nothing mattered-- he just had to get the damn thing away from Mariemaia! It uttered a loud roar of rage and its hands groped wildly for him, Heero winced as claws took hold and ripped at his flesh. 

Duo paused for a split second, then raced towards Mariemaia and pulled her away. _I have to get her outside, then I'll come back and help him… _As he and Mariemaia ran past Une's motionless figure on the floor, he gulped again, _And maybe save her…oh God…_

He heard a low moan that seemed to ring clear despite the monster's grunts and growls as Heero furiously tried to fight it. He looked down…and his heart leapt into his throat at what he saw.

Une…her face covered in blood…her eyes wild, dangerous…bloodthirsty. She was crawling on her knees, staggering, trying to return to her feet. Her breathing was ragged and hoarse, blood still poured from her chest and her mouth. 

"Come…back…here…" She gurgled in a voice filled with so much hatred it stung. Pale foam covered her lips. Mariemaia took a terrified step back, pressing into him. Her eyes were locked with Une's. "Come back!!!" Une raged. 

A scream erupted from Mariemaia as Une hurdled toward her, literally heaving her body off the ground, and another one as Une furiously sank her teeth into Mariemaia's shoulder in a desperate attempt to stop the girl from running. Duo shrieked in surprise and pulled Mariemaia away frantically as her shirt bloomed with blood like a rose in spring. Une collapsed back to the ground, seemingly dead. 

His heart pounded as he steered Mariemaia outside, and all the way to the end of the walk. Upstairs, either the monster or Heero sent something crashing through the window, bringing a heavy shower of glass on them. Without hesitation he reached for the girl again and shielded her. His eyes shot open as a piece of glass tore his cheek, a skin wound but it hurt like fire from the speed at which the glass had come by. Blood slowly crept down his neck and dried seconds later. 

A small tingle in his cheek told him that he was fine. 

"Duo?" Mariemaia asked softly, her voice giving the impression that she was close to tears. He looked down at her. "You're hurt!"

Wildly he looked back up to the second floor as he wiped away the dried blood and mumbled lowly, "It's nothing,"

Mariemaia's eyes widened in surprise and in some sense, excitement. 

There was no wound.

"…Duo…"

~~~~~~~

The creature pounded him into the wall, constricting his chest until Heero's body was raging for oxygen. He kicked it away momentarily and breathed deep before it came again. 

He searched the room desperately for a weapon. Finding nothing, he grabbed Mariemaia's desk chair and hurled it at the beast. It dodged, sending the chair crashing through the window. 

The beast charged at him, sending him sprawling to the ground, again knocking the air from his lungs. Clumsily he flung his arms about, reaching for something to grab on to, anything to pull himself back up. 

Heero's hand found the top of Mariemaia's desk, and his fist closed around a pair of large scissors. Relief flooded through him, and he instantly knew how to use his new weapon.

Pulling all of his possible strength together, he brought himself back up and leapt at the monster. His first attack failed, and as he fell toward it, the thing sunk its' long jagged teeth into Heero's shoulder. 

Heero's head sunk into a murky state of pain, and felt weakened immensely. His head spun dizzily as his arm soaked in blood, and the lost soul released its teeth from Heero's shoulder. Its hot breath that smelled of death and rot rolled over him in waves, making him sick to his stomach. 

Fighting the urge to throw up and feeling the reassuring strange tingling in his shoulder, Heero once again aimed the scissors at the creature. 

Heero shut his eyes as the blade tore through the beasts' gaping mouth, and a pale, thick liquid poured out as the blade sliced its way through. Heero braced himself and brought the scissors up, through its head, and back into its brain, showering him with the pallid blood. 

There was a deep rumbling roar, and it collapsed, dead.

Heero let out a slow breath, and weakly collapsed to his knees. He pulled his arm from the mess, and dumbly stared at it and the unconscious Une. Thinking about the pretty Relena who would never see her wedding, and the poor boy that would never know what happened to her smothered Heero with guilt. 

With a heavy sigh filled with sorrow and remorse, Heero stood and tried to help Une.

~~~~~~~~

A branch hit him in the face. Duo let out a low groan of annoyance as he swept it away.

"Mariemaia, where are we? Are we almost there?" Duo whined weakly. The tiny redhead ten feet from him, partially hidden by branches of a dogwood, turned to him and smiled faintly. 

"We're almost there, Duo. Don't worry." She assured him. Duo shrugged, but a persisting thought kept nagging at his brain. Not to mention he was worried sick about Heero. The sky was darkening…in less than an hour it would be pitch black.

"Yo, Mariemaia, how did you get your hands on poison for the Lost Souls?(1)" He questioned.

Mariemaia didn't answer, and Duo didn't miss the pause. 

"We're here." She informed him a spilt second later. Duo brushed a small bug from his face before stepping closer to the small wooden shed that Mariemaia was entering. As he approached the door, Mariemaia had lit a lantern, and it filled the shed with a warm glow of light. 

She turned to him as he stood in the doorway, glancing around casually. When his face met hers, and his bewildered eyes met her stony ones, Duo's nagging little feeling had exploded into foreboding dread. _Something isn't right here!! Something is very wrong!!! _He thought wildly. 

"Mariemaia…?" He asked uncertainly. "Where's the poison?"

There was a cold pause, and Duo's dread was climbing to a dangerous peak.

"Duo," She began quietly, "It's very possible that both Heero and my mother are dead by now."

"What?!" Duo shrieked as his eyes bulged open in shock. _Her shoulder!!_ His mind screamed. Duo's hand shot down, and pulled Mariemaia's collar away from her injured shoulder as she continued to watch him indifferently, not moving. 

The dread reached its breaking point, and Duo gasped loudly. 

Mariemaia's shoulder was completely and utterly fine.

Dried blood had congealed at her shoulder, but there was no wound. 

"What the hell?!" He stammered, shouting. 

A blinding pain erupted from his stomach and charged through his body, bringing him to the ground. Little bright colored dots appeared in his vision as he stared at Mariemaia's shoes, unable to even lift his head. 

His eyes rolled up, and could see her looking down at him. She held something small and metallic. 

"This is something called a stun gun." She said indifferently as a still darkness claimed him, a darkness filled with pain and terror…

@-------

AnimeCat: Heh, sorry for the wait. I had a bit of writer's block for a while, and I'm working on future fics. Thanks for your patience, minna-san! 

Review!!

1-I don't know, Mana says this in the anime. I think Mariemaia told Duo in time past that she had a poison for Lost Souls somewhere, which would explain them wandering around in the woods, ne?


	7. Moonlight Of Control

The Mermaids Scar…Gundam Style

Chapter 7

@-------

Une was stirring, but Heero wasn't sure if she was conscious or sleeping. He knew he should be looking for Duo and Mariemaia, but for now, he wanted to stay with Une. He could tell she wouldn't live much longer, she needed him here. Or at least he wanted to be here. The flesh had run out of magic for Une, and she was beyond its healing powers. It wouldn't even bring her back when she dies.

"Poor lady," He murmured from his spot on the floor, uncomfortably close to the dead creature, but he was too tired to move after transporting Une's limp and shredded body to Mariemaia's bed.

__

Besides, he thought, _Mariemaia is safe with Duo…he'll take care of her. _

But even as the words echoed inside his mind, he was troubled. 

Une let out a cough, and fresh droplets of blood wet her lips. 

"Try not to cough." He advised, thought he knew she probably couldn't hear him. 

"You have to listen to me--" She suddenly sputtered, her eyes fluttering open. Heero's head snapped in her direction. Her voice was thick, and a small trickle of blood seeped out of the corner of her mouth and dripped off her chin. 

"Une, try not to talk…rest. Make it easier on yourself." Heero said through clenched teeth.

"No!!" She gasped savagely, "Listen to me, please!!"

Heero paused, thinking of how much strength she was already zapping and decided to listen. He gathered all of his strength and shuffled toward her, and sitting back down at her side. 

"What is it?" He asked softly. Une hacked again, and more blood flowed. Her shirt at this point was a dark brownish red and stunk horribly of the beast. Heero reached over and wiped the blood from her lips. 

"Mariemaia isn't my real daughter," Une began, fighting to breathe, fighting to live. Heero's eyes widened. "Oh God, this all started during World War II--" 

She let out another choking cough and rested a moment before she continued. "My village…my home….all gone. My husband had died in the war, fighting…" For a moment, she trailed off into a faint voice, and Heero instantly assumed in fear that she'd died. But he studied her, and she was merely crying, but her eyes were shining with love. "And my daughter…my _real_ daughter had died right in front of my eyes!!"

Heero welled with sympathy. He knew what it was like to have someone you cared for die in front of your eyes…(1)

"And I gave up…I had lost all will and desire to live…I wanted to die, I welcomed it!!" She was crying loudly now, and occasionally she broke out into fitful coughing, and Heero gave her time to collect her breath.

"And then she appeared…she gave me the flesh, but at the time I didn't know what it was. And for a while, I was happy!! I had a wonderful child, it was like having my life back…"

More coughing, much more violent. Her body thrashed harshly, the sound enough making Heero sick. The sight of blood was more than enough.

"But years went by, and neither of us changed…we stayed young. She told me she had given me the flesh, and that I would be Immortal. After this, I was scared of her…I had good reason. She's….powerful… I tried to escape so many times…this time I managed to stay away for the longest…and her first night here she tried to cut my throat." Une was angry now, her tears had dried. She spoke with harsh tones of hatred. "She missed, but even then she was terrified when I didn't come back to life right away…" Une reached for her collar and pulled it down, exposing her breast and the jagged gashes above it from the monster. And then there was an old scar, a long one etching from the base of her neck and going down. 

Heero gasped. True, he knew that Une would die, but it still shocked him to see that the wounds hadn't healed, not at all. 

"And now this." She spat acidly. "She wanted Relena because Relena had been so good to her. She took a chance and gave the flesh to Relena, to replace me. She probably would have cut off my head if the flesh had worked…"

Une was silent, and Heero watched her for another moment, positive this time that she was dead.

A low growl emitted from Une. "I tried to stop her…I couldn't…but you can!!!" With a deep breath, she was shouting. Her body arched from the bed as she coughed up more blood. "Kill her!!! Kill her!!!" Une raged. "Get the mermaid's flesh and stop her!!"

Quickly, Heero leaned over and held her down. She coughed and sputtered a bit more before she calmed and her head lolled over to the side. She was still breathing.

Heero watched her rest, her breathing short and whistling, and he sank back down to the floor to recover from his own pains.

~~~~~~~~

Duo woke on the floor, his body screaming in agony. There was a dull throbbing everywhere from the electric shock, and splitting pains on his arms, waist and legs due to the fact that he was tied up with barbed wire.

His mouth opened wordlessly, open in a silent scream. 

"I'd let you go," A soft female's voice said from nearby, "But you'd run straight to Heero."

Duo's eyes darted to Mariemaia, who sat a few feet from him, her pack on her lap. She was smiling, but the smile turned his blood to ice. 

"Damn right I will!!" Duo shouted angrily. "Untie me-- NOW!" 

Mariemaia shook her head. "Sorry, but I can't do that." Her pale blue eyes swept over his bloody arms and the wire that held them. "Too bad the flesh doesn't prevent you from feeling pain. But I don't want you getting away!"

Duo glared at her, his eyes filled with fury, hate, and confusion. 

"You're gonna stay with me for a while." She informed him. "Since you're already completely Immortal, I don't have to worry about giving you the flesh. It's a shame Relena had to die."

"You little witch!! Untie me, damn you!!" Duo snarled. Mariemaia shook her head again and made a little sound in the back of her throat. Duo struggled with the wire, but only succeeded in causing more pain to erupt from his torn arms. 

"Aagh!!!" He screamed, but still continued to struggle, such was his desperation to escape. Mariemaia just watched him, making no move to stop him, still smiling her cold little smile.

"Duo…stop that." She chided. "There's no need to hurt yourself more."

But Duo continued to squirm and thrash, fighting to loosen the wire. Mariemaia said nothing else for a few minutes. 

Finally Duo ran out of energy, and he lay on the floor curled up in a ball, his chest heaving and his body bleeding. Moonlight was spilling in through the open door, and in its eerie sense, Duo felt comforted by the soft light. Mariemaia's lantern had gone dim, and it had been terrifying sitting in the dark with this girl. 

"You know, Duo," She said suddenly, startling him. "I have a feeling that you're not happy to be here with me."

Duo grinned coldly. "Now where would you get _that_ idea??" He asked sarcastically. 

Mariemaia stood up, taking her pack. "I think you won't be happy with me unless I get rid of Heero. You're too attached with him."

Duo froze. "W-what?" He whispered. Mariemaia walked toward the door, smiling.

"I'll bring you his head, Duo." She said cheerily. "That way he's not coming back."

Too horrified to say anything, Duo stared at Mariemaia as she walked off, and then he prayed…

~~~~~~~

Heero was still tired, but his arm was fine, and he could breathe easily enough. Une's strength surprised him, she still breathed, but she'd slipped into a sleep and he couldn't wake her back up. She may not be dead, but she was gone. 

There was a low whistling as she inhaled….and didn't exhale.

Heero looked at her. Her face and chest were caked in blood and mixed with her dried tears, but she was finally still, her face ashen in the moonlight. Her suffering had finally ended…

"Goodbye, Une." He said softly, and lowered his head. 

But as he heard footsteps in the hall, he shot to his feet and stared out into the dark hall. 

Mariemaia stepped into view, her red hair framing her smiling face. The moon's unearthly glow gave her an aura of power. Of control.

An aura that chilled his bones. 

"Where's Duo?" He demanded in a whisper, scared of the answer. 

"He's fine, don't worry about him." She said coolly. 

Heero gritted his teeth. "Why are you here?" He hissed. 

"I'm here to cut off your head." She said breezily. She lifted her arm, and Heero noticed the slingshot in her hands a second too late. 

The small marble shot at him, striking him in his previously injured arm. It stung, but it was nothing. Heero yelped in momentary pain and growled at the girl. She smirked and took off running. 

Heero jumped over the dead creature and dashed after Mariemaia madly. He caught sight of her skipping down the steps and disappearing down one of the halls. With his heart pounding in his chest, he followed her desperately. 

Suddenly his foot hit something in the hall, and he fell forward. Wildly he reached out to break the fall, and something cold bit into his neck. He let out a loud scream of mixed surprise and pain. 

Blood streamed onto the floor. He brought his hands back to his neck and clamped tightly on his slit throat until it had healed. 

He looked around for the cause of the pain. A thin metallic wire was strung near the floor, perfectly positioned for cutting his throat. It glinted with moonlight.

"Piano wire!!" He exclaimed to himself. _She really _is_ gonna kill me!! _He thought.

"Well," Mariemaia said disappointedly, appearing out of the shadows, "I guess it will be harder to take off your head than I thought."

Heero said nothing, and he jumped right onto her, bringing her to the floor. 

"Why??" He snarled. "Why are you doing this?? You don't know half of what the flesh can do to you!! Don't you see?! Living forever isn't a damn blessing-- it's a curse!! It's a curse because everyone dies…and you're alone. I was alone for centuries before I found Duo!!"

Mariemaia stared up at his face, her expression oddly peaceful. Then her shoulders slumped and she looked remorseful. "I'm sorry," She whispered softly, "Go ahead and kill me."

@-------

AnimeCat: Whoa…is she serious? *grins* Two more chapters should do it, seeya then!

Review!!!

1-I'm just following the manga! The character Heero is playing was named Yuta, and he had a lot of people around him die.


	8. She Gets What She Wants...

The Mermaids Scar…Gundam Style

Chapter 8

Heero stared at her in bewilderment. _Is she serious?_ He thought numbly. Mariemaia was no longer looking at him, just lying limp beneath him. 

The corner of her mouth twitched, and she drove her hand upward, and Heero screamed in white-hot anger and pain as two of her fingers tore through his right eye. 

He fell back, holding his hand to his eye and writhing on the floor in agony. Blood gushed through his fingers, and he desperately tried to sit up and face Mariemaia. As Heero flailed angrily on the floor, Mariemaia stood, cautiously studied the bright red blood coating her fingers, and then licked at it like a kitten to her milk. 

The sweet salt of his blood further stimulated her thirst to kill him. She ignored him completely as he struggled to sit up; she concentrated solely on licking her fingers clean.

Still studying her fingers to see if she'd missed any, Mariemaia smiled and sighed. "You're too trusting, Heero. You really should have killed me, because there will be no such hesitation on my part." She told him gently. "And Heero, I full well know the curse of being alone. I've been alive for eight hundred years, dear boy." 

Heero finally won his battle to sit up, and he continued to hold one hand to his face. His jaw dropped open slowly. "Eight hundred years…?!" He gasped. "Oh God, how many people have you killed with that cursed flesh?!" 

Mariemaia chuckled. "I really have no idea…. There have been _so_ many." She emphasized on the 'so', and Heero felt his blood boiling. "I think the first one was my mother."

Momentarily, Mariemaia remembered all those years ago, with her beautiful blonde mother. She'd been sick, and Mariemaia's discovery of the mermaids' flesh gave the small child hope that her mother would heal.

Mariemaia shuddered involuntarily, recalling her horror when she laid sight on her first Lost Soul, first of very many to come. "I don't even know if that was my real mother," She added thoughtfully, "It's just been so long. I tried to take care of myself, but the world is no place for a child on her own, is it?"

His eye had finally healed, but there was a dull throbbing in his head. His gaze lowered to the floor. "What happened to all of them?" He asked bitterly. 

"Most of them became Lost Souls like Relena," Her face clouded slightly, and Mariemaia assumed she actually was a little sad about losing Relena. By far Relena had been her favorite candidate for the flesh. _Oh well,_ she mentally shrugged. "But some of them lasted a while, Une for the longest."

"Why Duo?" He demanded. Despite the fact that he was beyond worry and concern for the braided boy, he smiled inwardly at what he was about to say. "Duo can hardly take care of himself, let alone another human!! Especially a child!!" 

Mariemaia shook her head. "Duo is completely cosmetic. People need only see him, and have some explanation of him. It will really be _me_ taking care of _him_." The child smiled coldly. "That's the way it is. I had almost complete control over Une." But the smile shattered, leaving behind an ugly sneer. "Une got away a lot, she was strong willed. Whenever I'd catch up with her, a good beating would keep her line for another few years. I have to kill you because Duo is so attached to you. The mere thought of you makes him stronger. If I kill you, he'll be far easier to control." And once again, her expression vanished, and she wore a look of hunger. "It's a real shame I'm stuck in the body of a child. Duo's quite the catch, wouldn't you say?"

With a low snarl, Heero jumped up at her. Mariemaia's hands reached around to her back, and produced a large handgun. "Guess we'll have to do this the hard way." She commented as she fired. 

The bullet hit him in the lower right, and Heero fell backwards and hit the wall. Perspiration poured down his face and his face was a frozen mask of pain. "So you really will kill me…" He stated in amazement. He'd seen so many people in their fiery craze for Immortality, but _none_ had been as determined as this _child_, this little girl!!

Mariemaia nodded perkily and smiled. "Oh yes, I am!"

And she fired again.

~~~~~~~

Duo discovered that he could move. Crawling like a snake and ignoring the painful throbbing of the barbs tearing his skin, he moved along slowly. It was a long, strenuous job, and by the time he was finally making his way down back to the road, the moon was high in the sky. 

He was covered with mud, grass stains and blood, his long brown hair was sticking out of his braid. Not that it was a braid anymore anyway. At some point it had come partially undone. He had all sorts of plant life embedded into the chestnut masses (most likely some insect life, too, considering how he itched) and it was slick with sweat from his labors. 

He grimaced, thinking of what he must look like. _But it doesn't matter, _he thought harshly. _Just get to Heero and save him._

The road leading back up to the mansion was in sight. Duo's breath caught in his chest and he moved faster, leaving a small trail of blood. 

Sweat dripped into his eyes, and as his vision blurred, he felt his body suddenly slip, and Duo shouted loudly as he body fell down the hill for the remainder of the trip.

He tumbled out onto the asphalt road, hitting hard and adding road burn to his previous list of injuries. He lay there for a moment before looking up. Five yards away was a dimly lit gas station. A short man stood nearby, cleaning someone's red motorcycle. He was staring at Duo like he'd seen a ghost. 

Duo's patience had long since run out, and he gave the attendant a furious glance. "Hello?! A little help here?!" Duo screeched angrily. The man got up and began walking toward him uncertainly. "Move it!!!!" 

"Yeah, sorry…" The man gushed apologetically as he quickened his pace and raced toward Duo. The wire was carefully untied, and some had to be cut off with some huge scissors that had made Duo *very* nervous to have so close to him. Once it had been taken care of, Duo remained on the road for only a moment to breathe with relief. 

In a quick movement, Duo kicked the attendant over and ran toward the gas station as the man gaped in surprise. "Thanks!" Duo shouted as he raced away on the motorcycle, which he had decided to borrow. 

The moon was getting higher. _Please God…don't let it be too late…_

@-------

::sighs:: Do I even have to ask?


End file.
